#1. This is not a question; pretend we're having a beer by the campfire. The goal is fun discussion and sharing of experiences. People regurgitating "canned answers" and telling me I have to make the decision will be flamed. (mild sarcam).I've towed a 30 & 32 ft TT for ~20 total years with 0.5-ton and 3/4-ton Suburbans (That's a great subject too). I'm thinking about switching to a pickup truck- and convinced I want a crew cab AND the 8-ft box. (Please don't SUGGEST the shorter box unless you have some stories to go with it. I get it that it's a compromise)Of course, that will be less fun in tight, city areas, mall parking lots and will put a dent in my backing ability (which is OK)...But all this does give me a tiny tinge of fear (not of bad things, but little things).If anyone has similar (or perhaps the reverse) experience, I'd love to hear your thoughts, what you liked, what you disliked. (Again, the seating and heating are obvious changes...I want to hear THOUGHTS, not the obvious stuff.)PS, apologies for sounding crabby...But, I'll give you one of the beers when someone chimes in WITH the same old obvious, canned responses. :-)

Make this new crew cab a HD 35 series truck, and add a fifth wheel trailer. You'll wonder why you've been towing a TT the last 20 years.Nothin wrong with crabby, just a product of getting older!Jerry

I've had both,but I pull a fifth. I now have a short box, but I miss my long box. I know that it's only about 18" difference, but I notice the stability and the things that I can carry.

Over the 40+ years since I've been driving, I've had 1/2, 3/4, and 1 ton trucks and 1/2 and 3/4 ton Suburbans as well as a 1/2 ton Toyota Sequoia. I currently have 2 each 3/4 ton pickups with caps on them, 6.5' bed; an '09 Chebby and a 2019 F250. I tow a variety of non-RV bumper pull stuff. The 5th wheel days are behind me.Were I to start again with the proverbial magic wand: Single Rear Wheel 350 / 3500 Pickup with a Cap, 4WD, most likely diesel, 8' bed; game time decision of either a bed slider or a "Decked" setup. I won't spend the money to replace what I have, but in this ideal world, the 350 / 3500 and the 8' bed provide convenience and capacity disproportional to the cost. In my experience, the extra length of 8' vs. 6.5' doesn't make it any more difficult to park. Loved my 3/4 ton 'burb, but in the end, I "need" to haul fuel cans and other "stuff" that just doesn't work in enclosed, nice environment.

I’m missing the point here. OP you already hit it. Longer vehicle = longer turning radius and places it won’t fit or fit easily. That’s all. Nothing magic. Cheers!

I have been towing for 30+ years and can honestly say the Long Bed is so much better.You will not notice a HUGE difference solo from a Short Box to a Long Box, other than a bit better ride with the Long Box because of the longer wheelbase..What I like MOST is the fact that the LB can get the 48 gallon fuel tank.... That in itself is awesome for travelling . . .

DISCUSSION: 8 ft + crew cab vs. SUV | Good Sam Community

4x4ord
Explorer III
Jan 26, 2023
From '07 - '10 we had an '07 Yukon Denali and a crew cab short box 5 seater GMC diesel pick up. Our camper was a 5ver, so, we put the 4 kids in the back seat of the pick up and went camping... the odd time the youngest would sit up front on the council. Although I really enjoyed driving the Yukon I just couldn't bring myself to, trade in the 5ver for a TT, use the Yukon as a tow vehicle and leave the Duramax parked in the garage. The kids were happy to go camping and I don't think I ever remember them complaining about having to squeeze in.
JRscooby
Explorer II
Jan 26, 2023
mkirsch wrote:
Cptnvideo wrote:
We have a Ram 4x6 (why do they say 4x4 when there are 6 tires on the ground?) crew cab, 8' bed. My ONLY complaint is we can't take it thru a drive thru car wash.

So you have a 4-wheeled vehicle where 6 wheels are driven? That breaks the laws of physics, but I suspect you never studied law. ;)

Technically it would be a 6x6, but in everyday language each set of dual wheels on a dually pickup is counted as a single wheel. At least with regards to being driven. So, a 4x4.

It's funny because a tandem axle OshKosh snow plow truck is considered a 6x6 even though it has 10 wheels, but a typical tractor-trailer combination is called an "18 wheeler."

The Oshkosh referred to likely has 3 axles, all driven, so 6X6. The "18 wheeler" (never heard before became CB slang) is most often 6X4 tractor pulling a trailer.
Back in my youth ('60s and early '70s) the local GMC dealer sold a lot of 6X2 trucks. A guy I worked with has a couple of Macks set up 10X6 straight trucks.
Cptnvideo
Nomad
Jan 26, 2023
Gents, I'm well aware of 4x4, 6x6 etc designations. I was attempting a little humor. Yet no comments about the car wash complaint.

Years ago I was chatting with a trucker on the CB radio. He asked what I was driving and I told him a 16 wheeler. After a couple minutes he laughed and said he got it. I was driving a tag axle DP, towing a pickup with a ATV in the bed. ;)
mkirsch
Nomad II
Jan 26, 2023
Cptnvideo wrote:
We have a Ram 4x6 (why do they say 4x4 when there are 6 tires on the ground?) crew cab, 8' bed. My ONLY complaint is we can't take it thru a drive thru car wash.

So you have a 4-wheeled vehicle where 6 wheels are driven? That breaks the laws of physics, but I suspect you never studied law. ;)

Technically it would be a 6x6, but in everyday language each set of dual wheels on a dually pickup is counted as a single wheel. At least with regards to being driven. So, a 4x4.

It's funny because a tandem axle OshKosh snow plow truck is considered a 6x6 even though it has 10 wheels, but a typical tractor-trailer combination is called an "18 wheeler."
dodge_guy
Explorer II
Jan 25, 2023
Cptnvideo wrote:
We have a Ram 4x6 (why do they say 4x4 when there are 6 tires on the ground?) crew cab, 8' bed. My ONLY complaint is we can't take it thru a drive thru car wash.

The 2 rear tires are attached to one axle shaft and aren’t driven separately. Think of it as one wide tire. A real 6X6 would have 3 axles.
Cptnvideo
Nomad
Jan 25, 2023
We have a Ram 4x6 (why do they say 4x4 when there are 6 tires on the ground?) crew cab, 8' bed. My ONLY complaint is we can't take it thru a drive thru car wash.
PA12DRVR
Explorer
Jan 25, 2023
"My other idea is to put a basic camper-top/cap on the truck and SOMETIMES use it for QUICK, solo camping trips.

I don't need to discuss 4WD...do most of us NEED it? Probably not."

I live in Alaska where I truly need 4WD every so often (probably need 10x per year, convenient much more than that) and I won't drive a vehicle up here w/o 4WD. When I lived in Ewe-stun, decided that I didn't need a 4WD F350, so got a 2WD F350. Some years later, at selling time, even the Ewe-Stun market dinged it for being only 2WD...and I managed to get stuck (spin-out, not buried) on wet grass (FL, AL, and MS) at least 3 times in the years that I owned it and camped (5th Wheel) with it.

Caps: Main reason my pickups have a cap is for (relatively) dry storage of the gear I carry. Caps rule out sno-go, SxS, or other bulky item transport...but that's what trailers are for. I've used the cap more than once when my "I'm a tough Alaska guy, I can camp in a tent" opinion got hammered by hard rain :(, but it's mostly so that I can carry stuff without having to worry about it being soaked or buried in snow or covered in dirt.....the bed stuff still gets dusty if it sits there for a while.
dodge_guy
Explorer II
Jan 24, 2023
I towed a 35ft TT with my Excursion. Loved that set up. I was thinking about a truck to replace it with a few years ago. I was considering a crew cab and 6’4” bed (Ram). After having driven my Wxcursion for so long I had no need or desire for a crew cab 8ft bed. I would’ve considered a Mega Cab and 6’4” bed but those are near impossible to find used. But in the end I went with a 1/2 ton crew cab and 5’7” bed and no trailer. We now have a class A. Hopefully this didn’t add anything useful to the conversation?
K3WE
Explorer
Jan 24, 2023
ALL AROUND GOOD DISCUSSION, Special thanks to MF man, PA12DRVR, ford truck guy, Lantley, blt2ski.

blt2' We know canoe hauling very well :), and would LOVE to have the Travelall you describe!

Lantley: Spent 3 great days at Patapsco State Park last June...You might have problems getting your engine up to operating temperature ;)

I'll think a bit on the 1-to vs. 3/4 ton suggestions. I know we don't need the 1-ton, but I get it, minimal $ difference but SOME capacity difference...and there are $ to be saved on a truck vs a Suburban. I can't see going all the way to a 4-number.

Short-beds are nice, but I occasionally buy 2 by 4s and plywood sheets...and it's nice to be able to put the gate up.

Whatever our TV will be, it will spend some time as a grocery hauler, some time hauling other stuff and some time pulling a camper.

My other idea is to put a basic camper-top/cap on the truck and SOMETIMES use it for QUICK, solo camping trips.

I don't need to discuss 4WD...do most of us NEED it? Probably not. But I need it occasionally for stuff "other than camping". It means a lot for resale value. It's incredibly useful for occasional mud, snow, sand or loose gravel.
It's incredibly not useful when you use it to get MORE stuck. :)

Another round of beers? :)
blt2ski
Moderator
Jan 24, 2023
Geo*Boy wrote:
Get a GM 4500 or a Ford F450, both have a tighter turning radius that the 3/4 or 1 ton trucks.

This is true.
My Navistar with a 188" wb out turned my 88 GM ext cab with a 155" WB, won't disCUSS the 170" crew cabs.

They have a 54* front wheel cut vs 45-50* for the 35 series rigs.

Marty